Trey Hendrickson hasn’t played for the Bengals since Oct. 26. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
The long, dramatic year of Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals looks to have finally concluded.
Cincinnati’s edge rusher saw a specialist for his hip/pelvis/core muscle injury and has opted to have surgery. The decision will effectively end his season, but will have him fully healthy by the time he reaches free agency in March.
Hendrickson publicly sparred with coaches and the front office this offseason, desiring a contract extension, and ended up signing a new one-year deal that gave him a $12 million raise for the season, bringing his salary to $29 million for 2025.
He played the first five games of the season, compiling four sacks, before sustaining a core muscle injury that was listed as hip/pelvis on the injury report. Hendrickson attempted to come back against the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets weeks later, but he didn’t make it to the second half of either game. Hendrickson later admitted he felt he might have come back too early from the injury.
Hendrickson was not placed on injured reserve by the Bengals, who left the door open for the 2024 runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year to return, but he was unable to over the last five weeks. Now, a day after the Bengals’ loss to the Buffalo Bills all but eliminated them from playoff contention, he opted for surgery, which will all but end his season and potentially his Bengals career.
Hendrickson is one of the best free-agent signings in team history. He was signed in 2021 after spending his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He racked up 64.5 sacks in 79 career games with Cincinnati, including the postseason.